Chapter 1 - Just another day

I made another line with my claw like every morning. They already filled out more then half the walls telling me that it has been 8 years, five months and 3 days since I have been imprisoned in this place. Eight long years that I mostly spend reading, thinking and talking to the guards. I was in luck however I thought bitterly. My part of the prison was high above the ground, so I actually got some day light in my cell.

I even had a large enough window that I could look out from comfortably. I was in a quite side corridor where hardly anybody ever went to. There were two more cells both empty. But that was with reason because officially I didnt even exist at least officially. I was only here because as far as my jailer knew I had somehow offended the duke who was in charge of this prison.

But thankfully I was relatively save here. It was because the king and queen wanted to prevent unjust imprisonment and stuff like that but sadly short of walking through the whole giant prison and look at every cell to check, comparing the prisoner with the records and everything, there wasnt much chances for me to be discovered after all it was the head warden himself who was using the prison to put those he disliked away.

If the tribes got wind of my imprisonment there was a high chance that this would create a lot of tension if not even be the spark for a third war with the Tribes. Something all sides wanted to avoid since my people tended to be rather formidable enemies. So here I was in a weird limbo. He didnt wanted to release me for whatever slight I might have done to him, nor did he wanted to kill me because then there might be war. Or at least a lot of political backlash.

Thankfully I made friends with my jailers. The few that where assigned to this area. So the one time the Bastard actually had risked bribing a hangman to execute me they were turned away because only with official royal documents I could be taken out of the prison and since I didnt existed inside this prison, there was of course no official paperwork for me.

My friends actually had thought about smuggling me out, but they all had family. Family that would be in danger if they lost their job because nobody was investigating death of starving poor people. It was a strange time indeed. There were rumors that the king was thinking about creating a force for that too, but you never knew if that was true or not. Still if they attempted that or I escaped they would be fired for certain if not even worse. Additionally, if I was caught outside of the cells inside a prison there might be a way to make my imprisonment legal because then I would have been potentially attempting to aid in a prison escape. But the law specified that only if you were inside the corridors, walls and courts of the prisons not the rooms. Neither I nor my friends understood the reasoning behind those rules but they were in my way.

The duke would only use that as a last-ditch attempt because in a court I might be set free and then the whole thing would blow up in his face. However, if his guards killed me in the corridor well then he would be mostly free because that would mean that I was most likely attempting to aid in an escape. It was all complicated and messy.

My friends had multiple times tried to gain an audience with the king to set this right but since they are just common folks all they can do is to go to the common folks Audience. And those are so overcrowded that they hardly can spend the time to get there before all the others. And the king sadly doesnt walks outside much.

I sighed while I did my morning routine in my cage. It has a nice view to the outside to one of the two large rivers floating through the city. And it was high enough that the morning sun was waking me gently every day. My morning routine was, besides doing my business in the bucket and putting as far away as possible, doing all sorts of gymnastics that my tribe usually does to keep fit during the long nights in the mountains.

Because no matter what I would not let this break me. After my morning routine I picked up my current Book to continue my study. The topic of my current read was mathematics. Should I ever manage to get out of here I would be in the best position to start a business. Or maybe serve as at a court? Or I could return to my tribe and educate them as I was educated now. My tall ears twitched slightly while I was deeply in the topic of the book.

At the beginning I hated reading but my cook Marie, who was an educated slave spend long days in secret teaching me how to read and write until I was fluent enough to read a book from cover to cover. She did work in the small guard post down the corridor. Cleaning and cooking but it so far out of the way that nobody is bothered by her spending time with me.

So thanks to that I can read most books within a day or two if they were not too difficult of topic. My current read however was dragging its feet for over two weeks. Which wasnt much of a surprise after all I spend a lot of time just checking and understanding the math in it.

I heard footsteps getting closer. Soft touches with every steep that I already knew it was Maria the cook. Most likely with jet another forbidden pleasure created in her kitchen. A big smile of anticipation grew on me. With her was Joans unique steeps. One slow drag after the other since she had a limp from a battle wound that she got just 5 years ago. That young lad was always a bit depressed, but she was the most pleasant guard stationed here.

I heard a soft knock and then they already entered my abode. I smiled to the two while cleaning my table. It was just a old barrel set next to my bed but more comfort then most prisoners had. Next to my table was a small old broken stool that I usually would use to sit on when I had guests like today. Apart from that there was no other furniture. Most of my few possessions where put around the window or on the ground.

I saw that they had plates for three so they must plan to eat together with me. Something I extremely enjoyed every single time they managed to find time for it. Good news Misra do you remember the old Johnsen? He retired two years ago. I nodded he was always a calm friendly one eve through he hardly spoke more then three dozen words since we meet each other.

"He finally got his affair in order and went on a Journey two months ago to find your tribe. I raised my eyebrow and my tail twitched a bit. He found four of your brethren and they took your case to your eldest." They responded and said they would send a delegation so now maybe the king will finally hear about all this. I smiled and nodded. I certainly hope so I dont want to get my hope up yet but maybe I sighed. "I just want to be free again, I had enough of this room."

Marie reached out and squeezed my hand. She used to be the daughter of a teacher and bookbinder bevor she was captured by slavers. And while the slavers where punished for it she became state property instead of free because of some stupid quirk in the law. "I know how you feel. I at least can walk out of here every day to go to go to the market and stuff like that and I know that in a year I will be finally free thanks to the new law of the King." I nodded and gave her a hug. "Sooo what else is new?" I asked my two friends for gossip. We chatted for an hour before they both had to return to their post.

I was sitting on the drum in front of the window while reading my book. Marie had left another one here. I never knew where she got all of them but without them, I would have most likely gone insane from boredom. From time to time I did calculations on the ground using a small stone because I didnt wanted to waste my precious paper on temporally stuff like this. I spend most of the day like this reading and following the calculations along until when the sun started to go down. I opened up my precious journal and did write about the day.

two days later

Not much has happened the last two days which wasnt much of a surprise Marie had visited me a few times, but she couldnt stay for long. Apparently there was a new rule that had them all on their toes. But such stuff was quite common here so nothing to worry about. I looked out of the prison window just watching the beautiful day through the heavy iron bars.

I knew now that the river was exactly 515 meters wide at this point and from the shore to where I was sitting it was roughly 230 meters. I sadly could not figure out how high above the water level the building since I couldnt see the base of the tower, but my estimate was that I was well above 60 meters in the air which was high up even for a climber of the tribes. I just had finished the second book that my friend had brought me this week. A lovely novella about the travel along this very river.

I sighed while my eyes did wander over the all to know landscape. Suddenly I noticed two figures on the opposite shore that stood out with shape and form and they were stopped and looking towards this very prison. They were from the tribes! How long had I longed to see any of them? Hastily I waved to them trying to gain their attention but to no avail my arm was way to small and similar to a human one to know it was one of the tribe waving. So I took a deep breath and looked around. The white blanket on my bed! I took it and drew with my precious ink the simple symbol of my clan on it. Please dont walk away I muttered while drawing.

It took me dreadful long moments to draw the familiar shape. The stick figure that danced Infront of the sun looked a bit like it wanted to go to the loo instead, but it was clearly my clans banner. I attached it to the metal bars and let it hang out from my window. But to my shock they already had turned and started to walk away. It was way too far to scream. The raising hope did drain from me. I grabbed the sheet and waved the icon in vain while tears did run over my cheeks.

Suddenly one of the figures turned and looked. Then stopped the other one and clearly pointed. I cried out in happiness and even more tears did run while they waved over clearly seeing my simple drawing of the clan symbol. I left it out for long moments till the figuring in the far distance bowed towards me, then they walked off. As they walked off I pulled the cloth back inside as if nothing had happened.

I prayed for the first time in years to the gods that my brethren will not give up. Maybe they are even part of the delegation. The symbol should tell them two things. That one of the tribes was here. And that it was someone from the tribes of the dancing sun. I sighed now I had to wait again. Suddenly the door was opened, and Marie came in. I smiled to her and Johanna who accomplished her again.

"Anything interesting happening out there today?" Johanna asked with a smile. I chuckled. "Just a tiny bit of hope." She raised her eyebrow. Marie however had spotted the crumbled blanket and the paint on it. She looked curious but didnt said anything to me after leaving the meal for today on the Barrel. "I hope that your rescue comes soon." Johanna suddenly said. "I would hate it to see you in here forever." I nodded. "I dream about it every day but all I can do is wait and hope. But if you have the moment what Is happening outside?" She smiled and starting to chat about what I missed the last two days. Mostly just romance of the guards and such nothing new in the kingdom.

After they left without commenting on the crumpled cloth at all I was in deep thought. Did they see it correctly? Would they tell the tribes? Where they with the delegation or did I just create chaos in basically making a second delegation? Question after question bombarded my mind. I brushed my tail to keep myself at least a bit healthy and to ease my mind. I ignored the new book that Marie had brought to me completely way to deep in brooding thought to bother with it.